Tableview
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01 / 07Compare

Compare · POS Systems

Tableview vs. Square. Purpose-built wins.

Square is a popular all-in-one POS, but is it the right fit for a restaurant? Here's how it compares to Tableview on the features hospitality operators actually need.

Starting at
$69/mo
Built for
Restaurants
Contract
Monthly
02 / 07Overview

Built for restaurants, not retail counters.

Square started as a general-purpose POS for retail and services. Its restaurant features are an add-on layer. Tableview was designed from day one for hospitality, with KDS, floor plans, coursing, and modifiers built into the core.

  • Tableview advantage

    Purpose-built restaurant tools, not a retail POS with a bolt-on.

  • Offline reliability

    Full offline mode including card payments. Square's card processing fails without internet.

  • Scale without limits

    Multi-location available on higher-tier plans. Square charges $60/mo per additional location on Plus.

03 / 07Feature comparison

Every feature, side by side.

How Tableview and Square stack up across 33+ capabilities that matter for restaurants.

Feature

Tableview

From $69/mo

Square

Free + fees

Pricing & contracts

  • Pricing model
    Flat $69/mo, no per-transaction fees
    Free tier + 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction
  • Contract
    Month-to-month, cancel anytime
    Month-to-month on free tier, annual on Plus
  • Multi-location pricing
    Included free on all plans
    $60/mo per location on Square for Restaurants Plus
  • Setup fees
    None
    None (hardware purchased separately)
  • Total cost of ownership
    Predictable flat rate, scales with locations
    Per-transaction fees add up quickly at high volume

Core POS features

  • Table management / floor plans
    Visual drag-and-drop floor plan builder
    Basic grid layout on Plus plan only
  • Course fire / multi-course
    Limited, manual hold-and-fire only
  • Menu modifier groups
    Nested modifier groups with forced/optional rules
    Basic modifiers, no nested groups
  • Split checks
    Split by seat, item, or custom amount
    Split by item or equal parts
  • Offline mode
    Full POS + card payments work offline
    Limited, card payments fail without internet
  • Tab management
    Open tabs with pre-auth and auto-close
    Basic open ticket support

Kitchen & operations

  • Kitchen display system (KDS)
    Built-in KDS with colour-coded timing
    Available as paid add-on, limited restaurant-specific features
  • Station routing
    Route items to multiple prep stations automatically
    Basic printer routing, no multi-station KDS routing
  • Allergen management
    Allergen tags on menu items with front-of-house alerts
    Manual notes only, no structured allergen system
  • Recipe costing
    Ingredient-level costing tied to menu items
    —
  • Prep tracking
    Prep lists generated from forecast demand
    —

Inventory & procurement

  • Stock management
    Ingredient-level tracking with unit conversions
    Item-level count, not ingredient-level
  • Low-stock alerts
    Automated alerts with configurable thresholds
    Basic low-stock notifications
  • Supplier management
    Built-in supplier directory with order history
    —
  • Purchase orders
    Create, send, and receive POs inside the platform
    —

Payments & hardware

  • Hardware flexibility
    Runs on your own tablets, laptops, and desktops
    Square hardware or select iPads
  • Payment methods
    Cards, cash, mobile wallets, QR pay
    Cards, cash, mobile wallets
  • Contactless / NFC
  • Tipping options
    Custom tip prompts, tip pooling, auto-gratuity
    Tip prompts on terminal, no built-in pooling
  • Gift cards
    Digital and physical gift cards included
    Available, sold through Square ecosystem

Reporting & analytics

  • Real-time dashboard
    Live sales, covers, and labour dashboard
    Real-time sales data, general-purpose layout
  • Labour cost tracking
    Labour % vs. revenue with shift-level breakdown
    Basic labour reports via Square Team add-on
  • Product mix analysis
    Menu engineering matrix (stars, plowhorses, puzzles, dogs)
    Item-level sales reports, no menu engineering view
  • Custom reports
    Build and schedule custom report templates
    Pre-built reports, limited customisation

Support & integrations

  • 24/7 support
    —
  • Onboarding & training
    Dedicated onboarding manager, free training sessions
    Self-serve setup guides and webinars
  • Open API
  • Third-party integrations
    Growing marketplace, restaurant-focused partners
    Large ecosystem, mostly retail and e-commerce focused
04 / 07Why switch

Why restaurants switch from Square.

Square works for coffee shops and retail. But when your restaurant grows, the gaps become hard to ignore.

General-purpose vs. restaurant-built

Square was designed for retail counters and service businesses. Restaurant workflows like coursing, split checks, and floor plans are afterthoughts, not foundations.

No 24/7 support when you need it

Restaurants operate evenings, weekends, and holidays. Square offers no around-the-clock support, so a Saturday night POS issue means waiting until Monday.

Offline card payments fail

When your internet drops, Square cannot process card payments. Tableview keeps taking orders and processing cards offline, so service never stops.

Per-transaction fees add up at scale

Square's 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction sounds small, but at $50K/mo in sales that's over $1,300/mo in processing fees alone. Tableview's flat rate stays predictable.

05 / 07FAQ

Common questions.

Everything restaurant owners ask when comparing Tableview and Square.

Is Square POS good for full-service restaurants?+

Square works well for quick-service and counter-service setups, but full-service restaurants often outgrow it. Features like multi-course fire, advanced floor plans, ingredient-level inventory, and dedicated KDS routing are either missing or limited in Square. If you run a sit-down restaurant with multiple courses and a busy kitchen, a purpose-built restaurant POS like Tableview is a better fit.

How does Tableview pricing compare to Square for restaurants?+

Tableview charges a flat $69/mo with no per-transaction fees. Square offers a free tier but charges 2.6% + 10¢ on every transaction. For a restaurant processing $40K–50K per month, Square's transaction fees can exceed $1,000/mo, making Tableview significantly cheaper at scale.

Can I switch from Square to Tableview easily?+

Yes. Tableview offers a dedicated onboarding manager who helps migrate your menu, floor plan, and settings from Square. Most restaurants are fully transitioned within a few days with no disruption to service.

Does Tableview work offline, unlike Square?+

Tableview provides full offline functionality including card payment processing. Square's offline mode is limited, and card transactions cannot be processed without an internet connection. This makes Tableview more reliable for venues with unstable connectivity.

What restaurant features does Tableview have that Square lacks?+

Tableview includes built-in KDS with station routing, multi-course fire, ingredient-level inventory with recipe costing, supplier management with purchase orders, allergen tagging, advanced floor plans, prep tracking, and 24/7 support. These are either unavailable or require paid add-ons in Square.

Is Tableview better than Square for multi-location restaurants?+

For multi-location operations, Tableview supports multiple outlets on higher-tier plans with centralized menu management, cross-location reporting, and a single dashboard for all venues. Square charges $60/mo per additional location on their Plus plan.

06 / 07Other comparisons

Explore more comparisons.

07 / 07Get started

Built for restaurants, not retail.

Tableview is purpose-built for hospitality. Book a demo and see why restaurant owners make the switch from Square.

  • Personalized feature walkthrough
  • Migration plan from Square
  • Custom pricing for your venue
  • No commitment required